Ronan keeps staring out the window. He seems quiet today, like he has a lot on his mind. It’s hard to have a conversation with the noise of the airplane, so I figure I’ll ask him about it after the jump. Maybe he just needs his adrenaline rush. He doesn’t seem to crave danger nearly as much as he used to, but he does get antsy if we spend too much time working without doing something to blow off steam. Maybe he had a stressful week in San Francisco. He looks at me again and smiles, bringing my hand up to his lips for another kiss.
We get to jump altitude and the door is opened. The noise level rises with the air whipping past. The first couple of jumpers take their positions and go, disappearing from sight. Kylie’s instructor eases her out to the jump spot, and when she nods that she’s ready, they both take the leap. I’m so excited and nervous for her that my heart feels like it’s going to thump right out of my chest.
Braxton turns and gives me a wink before he throws himself out of the plane, right behind Kylie.
Ronan and I move toward the open door. We both hold on to the bar, but before we can jump he turns to me.
“When we get on the ground, I have something for you,” he says.
“What is it?” I ask. It’s a little hard to hear him with all the noise.
He gives me a smile that makes my core tingle, and unzips the top of his jumpsuit. He reaches inside and pulls out a small box.
It’s a jewelry box.
Oh my god. Is that what I think it is? My tummy does a belly flop and my mouth drops open.
He slides the box back in and pulls up the zipper, giving me a sly smile.
He raises his voice above the noise of the engine. “Marry me?”
Then, with another smoldering smile, he tumbles out of the airplane.
I gasp and jump out of the plane after him.
~~~
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About the Book
This was a really fun book to write. It took a different direction than I originally anticipated, but I’m happy I went with my instincts instead of trying to force it into the mold I had in mind at first.
We first meet Selene in ALWAYS HAVE, the story of her twin brother, Braxton, and their best friend, Kylie. Poor Selene gets a little bit of a bad rap in that book, considering she causes some trouble for Brax and Ky. I know more than a few readers were peeved at her over the events in that book, and hopefully by the end, they were able to forgive her. But I’m not going to lie—I was legitimately worried when I wrote this that no one would want to read it because they were still mad at Selene.
This book gave me the chance to explore her as a character in a way I didn’t in ALWAYS HAVE. I spent a lot of time thinking about what Selene would be like. She’s a woman who lost her parents as a child, and that would certainly have an influence on the person she becomes. She also has an overprotective brother with a big personality.
Her social life is very tied to her brother, which means in some ways, she lives in his shadow. Because of that, her professional life is where she really blossomed as an individual. It’s the sphere where she gets to be truly herself. Where she can excel without leaning on her twin, or having him constantly shadowing her. So, it’s no surprise that she’s done well professionally, and earned a reputation for being competent and hard working.
But her social life still comes into play. Selene has a weakness for the wrong men. When it comes to the types of relationships my characters have, I always want to know why. Why would Selene be attracted to men who ultimately screw her over? Part of it is probably the loss of her parents and the hole they left in her life. But a lot of it is Braxton. In many ways, Braxton took over as the man in Selene’s life in the absence of their father. And Selene is drawn to men who are a lot like her brother. The problem is, Braxton was a bad boy on the outside, but a good man underneath. That’s something of a rarity. Selene keeps dating bad boys who are straight up assholes, without the redeeming good man qualities. Unfortunately, she hasn’t found one who is different.
When I was considering what sort of man to pair Selene with, my first thought was that maybe this is a story about finally falling for the “good guy.” That she’d meet a nice guy type, and perhaps the struggle would be him convincing her that she doesn’t need a bad boy to be happy.
But … wouldn’t it be even more fun if Selene met another bad boy? Another man who is everything she doesn’t need in her life? Except what if he’s EXACTLY what she needs in her life? And he needs her just as much?
That sounded awesome. And thus, Ronan Maddox.